Walt Whitman Announcements

XANADU - A NIGHT OF HEART AND SONG

Written by Ms. Lea Tyrrell | Feb 8, 2024 4:20:01 PM

Join the South Huntington family for A Night of Heart and Song as we come together to celebrate the artists all around us - the musicians, singers, writers and poets - our talented and creative students, teachers and staff members! 

 

This year’s concert will feature 17 acts including rock, R&B, pop, jazz, folk, EDM, and poetry readings - both originals and covers.  Tickets are available for $5 at the door at the South Cafeteria on Friday, February 9th. Show will be from 6:30-9:15 PM. The money goes to support Walt Whitman High School’s online literary magazine Xanadu and the high school’s The Collective recording studio.

 

The mantra at Xanadu is Creation is Activism.  Musicians and poets are activists, and coming together to create in the spirit of love can make a real difference.  Xanadu faculty advisor and Walt Whitman English teacher Joseph Pipolo, who created this event 16 years ago, said there are so many reasons to look down these days thanks to technology and social media. This is a night to look up. To “sing, clap, dance…be together and raise a few thousand dollars to keep the arts relevant. [The performers] are using their creations and time and spirit in a practical and tangible endeavor. And they are having fun,” said Pipolo.

 

The district’s arts community will come together again in June for Mercy, the spring concert that raises money for local food pantries. That event, also the creation of Mr. Pipolo, has been going strong for 26 years now and is something students look forward to sharing every spring as the school year winds down.  We’ll have more information on that concert as it draws nearer.  But don’t wait until then.  Join us on Friday night when the heart of South Huntington gathers for a night of music and poetry!